Colombia’s 2020 GDP Shrinks 6.8% on Covid Crisis, but Rebounds Point to Growth
Colombia’s national economic statistical agency DANE on February 15 revealed that the national gross domestic product (PIB in Spanish initials) shrunk by 6.8% for full-year 2020 — all because of the Covid-19 crisis.
However, GDP sequentially rebounded in third quarter (3Q) and fourth quarter (4Q) 2020, compared to the huge 15% decline in second quarter (2Q) 2020, the DANE report shows.
According to DANE, the economic sectors that contributed the most to the 2020 GDP decline were wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; construction; mining; lodging; and food services.
Commenting on the DANE report, Bruce MacMaster, president of ANDI (Colombia’s biggest industrial-commercial trade association), said: “We can see that in the [sequential] inter-quarter growth data, the economy presented an expansion of 9.4% in the third quarter compared to the second, and 6% in the fourth quarter compared to the third, which accounts for an important correction, accompanied by the lifting of the strictest quarantines since June.
“The indicators for the end of the year 2020 show us trends that suggest that we will reach positive data in the near future. The reactivation, accompanied by the vaccination process, puts Colombia in a more positive outlook,” he added.
